Montana Millionaire Winner

A Billings couple won the $1,000,000 grand prize in the Montana Millionaire. Looks like they will be ringing in the New Year in a whole new way. The wife of the man who bought the winning ticket tells the secret to how they won.

"[William] won because he's such a nice guy," Carol said.

William and Carol Morse of Billings Friday claimed the $1 million Montana Millionaire grand prize with a ticket from the Albertsons at 670 Main St.

William is a truck driver for Matheson Trucking and Carol is a speech and language pathologist for the Billings Clinic. They've lived in Billings for 25 years.

William purchased only one ticket and was working the night of the drawing. Carol was at home watching the winning numbers be announced. She wrote down the grand prize number but was unable to check the ticket until William got home the following day.

After double-checking the number at montanalottery.com, William and Carol realized they'd become Montana's newest millionaires.

"We said, 'Well, Happy New Year!'," Carol said.

Asked what they'd do with their prize, William smiled and summarized with two words: "Spend it."

The Montana Millionaire drawing was January 1 and included the $1 million grand prize as well as four $100,000 prizes and four $10,000 prizes. An Early Bird drawing for one additional $10,000 prize was November 26.